Coalition Party support hits five-year low as Orpo’s TV interview fails to quell Garden Helsinki fallout

Support for Finland’s governing National Coalition Party has fallen to its lowest level in over five years, according to a recent opinion poll commissioned by Helsingin Sanomat. The party, led by Prime Minister Petteri Orpo, now holds 16.7% support, a decline of 0.7 percentage points since last month. The last time the Coalition Party recorded a lower figure in the same survey was in April 2021, when support stood at 16.2% (Ilta-Sanomat). Yle notes that the poll was conducted during a period of intense scrutiny over the party’s handling of the Garden Helsinki arena funding, though respondents were not explicitly asked to explain their voting preferences. Party leadership now openly links the poor polling to the summer’s debates, particularly the Garden Helsinki controversy. Jukka Kopra, chair of the Coalition Party’s parliamentary group, acknowledged that "the debates that have taken place in public in recent months have undoubtedly had an impact," while newly appointed Minister of Social Security Karoliina Partanen stated that "one cannot be satisfied with the latest HS poll" (Ilta-Sanomat).